Written for my friend, Foxy, as a Christmas gift.
Don't own or the show would be completely different.
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"Rodney?"
Eyes widening, Rodney shoves what he was working on under a sheet and spins towards the man standing just inside the door. "John?!" Winces when his voice comes out squeaky, not liking the curious expression on his lover's face.
"What are you doing?"
"Working! Very important! So important that I can't be disturbed!" Flails his arms around, he tries to distract the other man from the lump of white linen resting behind him on the worktable.
John looks from his lover to the sheet, eying it curious and steps closer to the other man. "I thought you were going to meet me for dinner. That was two hours ago." Fishing in a pocket, he pulls out a ration bar and offers it to Rodney even as he works his way closer to the table, keeping one eye on his friend. Grins when he sees that Rodney is too busy stuffing the ration bar into his mouth to notice what he's doing and reaches out, grabbing hold of the sheet and pulls. Blinks and stares at the vaguely familiar shape of wires laying on its' side, the sheet hanging loosely in his grip. A shout of dismay has him looking at Rodney.
"John! You...I...you idiot! You touched it!" Falters for a moment but gathers his wits quickly and stomps over, yanking the sheet out of the limp hand and throws it back on top of the table, huffing. "You just had to ruin it, didn't you, Colonel-I-Can't-Let-Anything-Be-A-Surprise!"
"That's a Christmas tree."
Bristling at the tone, he turns to yell at him when the grin on John's face halts him before he can even get started. Changing tactics, he folds his arms across his chest, glaring at the grinning brunette. "Not yet it isn't!"
"You're making a Christmas tree. Aww, and I thought you hated the holiday." John's grin widens, teasing the scientist mercilessly than leans forward to press a quick kiss to his cheek and turns towards the table again. He pulls the sheet free a second time, studying the 'tree' curiously. "How big are you going to make this?"
Sulking, Rodney slinks closer to the table, joining John in staring at the partially constructed tree. "Seven feet. I'm making it in sections. This is the first three parts. Radek has been helping." The warm hand wrapping around his wrist has him turning towards his lover and he looks away in embarrassment.
"Thank you." John tugs him close and presses a kiss to his mouth, still grinning broadly.
"I'm not doing this for you!"
"Right, Rodney. Keep believing that." Laughing, John drapes an arm over his shoulders, reaching out to cover the half-completed tree with his other hand and pulls him towards the door once finished. "How about I go show you how much I appreciate this?"
Sputtering, Rodney gives token protests even as he allows himself to be dragged away from the workroom towards his quarters.
Moments after the door slides shut, a shaggy head pops out from under the second table and Radek stares at the now closed door and chuckles to himself. Rising to his feet, he places the screwdriver he dropped on the top and pulls the sheet loose, getting to work on the Surprise Tree Project.